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An in-state offensive lineman to build around

Auburn has a tendency to build its recruiting class around big, physical offensive linemen. Last year, it was Calvin Ashley. Tank Jenkins is a name to watch in the 2018 recruiting cycle.

The 6-foot-4, 326-pound offensive guard has starred for Park Crossing in Montgomery, Ala., since his freshman year in high school, which is about as long as Auburn has been recruiting him. Jenkins made his most recent trip to Auburn for junior day, and he’ll be back throughout the spring and summer as he zeroes in on a decision.

When asked, he can’t even tally how many visits he’s made to the Plains.

“It’s really a lot,” Jenkins said. “I’ve been coming up here since my ninth-grade year. … It’s just Auburn. It’s just a good school to go to.”

Jenkins holds offers from 22 schools, almost exclusively from Power 5 programs, including Auburn, Florida, Clemson, Michigan, LSU, Louisville, Florida State, LSU, Oklahoma and most recently Miami. The 4-star offensive lineman — who ranks No. 5 overall in Alabama — doesn’t have a timeline or a top list of schools.

Auburn OL target Tank Jenkins (Jeff Sentell/SEC Country)

But he’s starting to get a better feeling for what schools will become his leaders.

“It’ll just pop. I don’t know when, but it’ll be soon,” Jenkins said.

Auburn already has a quarterback and running back commitment. The Tigers have plenty of options at wide receiver. Now, it’ll be time to set a base on the offensive line. This will be offensive line coach Herb Hand’s first start-to-finish recruiting cycle since joining Gus Malzahn’s staff.

Jenkins has already created a close bond with Hand, which — along with the proximity to home factor — should be a major selling point for Auburn.

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MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Marcus Jenkins — his birth name — earned his nickname well before anyone knew what he’d become.

Better known in the recruiting world as “Tank,” Jenkins’ mother started calling him that as a kid. It derived from a variation of nicknames his father had and it stuck throughout his childhood. By the time Jenkins became a 4-star football prospect, it was a logical nickname for the 6-foot-3, 320-pound prospect.

“I turned into a Tank, so it fits,” Jenkins said. “My dad is like 6-foot-3, about 280, a real big dude.”

Jenkins has lived up to the billing, especially in recent weeks.

As the No. 10 offensive guard in the nation, Jenkins is listed as the top offensive lineman in the state of Alabama. Last weekend, Jenkins put on a show at the Nike Opening regional in Charlotte. His performance received OL MVP honors at the camp.

Those accolades are forcing top programs to put on the recruiting pressure. He’s receiving most of that attention from Oklahoma, Missouri, Florida, Auburn, Louisville, Mississippi State, Miami, Arkansas and a few others.

Expect to see a complete list in the near future.

4-star OL Tank Jenkins lists Auburn among the programs that are giving him the most attention. (Chris Kirschner/SEC Country)

“I’ll make a top 10 [soon],” Jenkins said. “[I’ll have a decision] probably at the end of May. I’m going to go visit some more schools and talk to more coaches. For now, I think they’re all recruiting me the same. I just want to get it out of the way since I plan to enroll early.”

Jenkins projects as a guard at the next level.

For Auburn purposes, that adds some intrigue to his recruitment. So far, the Tigers have two offensive linemen committed in the class — Jalil Irvin and Kameron Stutts — who are both expected to be interior linemen, likely guards. Irvin could play center, which means the Tigers could plan to take another guard.

It’s still up in the air whether Auburn hopes to take four or five offensive linemen. With other guards such as Trey Hill out there, the Tigers’ priority figures to focus on tackles going forward.

Still, Jenkins feels like Auburn wants him. The presence of two other guards in the class doesn’t scare him away.

“It doesn’t play a role, for real. It all depends who would go there and get the spot and grind for it,” Jenkins said. “They love me. They want me to come play and be their best guy. It’s a good school. It’s a good in-state school.”

Most, if not all, of Jenkins’ communication runs through offensive line coach Herb Hand.

“He’s a real cool guy. He’s just like my offensive line coach at Park Crossing,” Jenkins said. “He’s real cool and laid-back. I just have a good relationship with Coach Hand. He always says real good stuff to me.”